Car-fender.



l. G. BACKSTROM.

CAR FENDER. APPLIATIQN FILED. EEB. 8. 1916. 1 ,1 98,3 1 1. Patented Sept. 12, 1916. 1. 2 SHEETSf-SHEET yl. A

.Qyn

. J. G. BACKSTROM.

CAR FENDER.

APRLICAUON man FE11S. 191e.

1` ,198,31 1. 1 Patented Sept.. 12, 1916. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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JOHN GARNER BacKsTnoM, oF TU'TWILER, MISSISSIPPI.`

CAR-FENDER.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN GARNER BACK- sTRoM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tutwiler, in the county of Tallahatchie and State of Mississippi, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car-Fenders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to car fenders, the object in View being to provide a fender especially designed for use upon motor vehicles such as automobiles, motor trucks and the like.

One of the main objects of the present invention is to produce a fender in which the body of the fender is normally collapsed in a compact condition and concealed with- 1n a housing which forms a pilot bar or bumper located in front of the machine and. yieldingly related thereto so that the pilot` bar is susceptible of a limited rearward movement, means being provided in connection therewith, lwhereby the body of the fender may be tripped and expanded to its useful position when the pilot bar strikes a person or objector when the driver of the machine finds it necessary or desirable to vexpand the fender, the fender thus being a motor vehicle, the fender being showninv its folded or normal carrying position. Fig'. 2 is a similar view showing the position assumed by the parts when the fender body is expanded to its useful position. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the fender in its expanded or useful position. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary7 plan View of the fender. Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 looking forwardly. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. l but on a smaller scale, showing the manually operable means for tripping the fender. Fig. 7 is a detail view showing one of the springs for spreading the toggle links of the-fender body. Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section showing a slight modification in the latch mechanism. Fig. 9 is a fragmentary side elevation partly in section showing another manner of fasten- Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented sept. 12, 1916.

Application led February 8,v 1916. Serial No. '76;981.

ing the support for the braces to the ma# chine.

The fender of this invention issupported upon and connected to the side frame bars 1 of a motor vehicle, the fender being braced with relation to the front axle 2 of the vehicle, 3 designating the usual springs connected to the frame bars 1 by shackle boltsA equivalent thereof, each bracket compris-- ing a curved body portion 8 which conforms to the curvature of the respective frame bar 1 and aroundwhich the clips or U-bolts 7 pass. Each bracket also comprises a forwardly extending and substantially horizontal tubular socket 9 which receives one of a pair of rods 10 fastened to the pilot barl hereinafter described and extending rearwardly from said pilot bar, the rods 10 being guided within the sockets 9 and being -held at the forward limit oftheir movement by means of coiled expansion springs 11 located in the sockets 9 behind the rods 10. Any suitable means may be employed for limiting the forward movement of the rods 10. The springs 11 thus serve to sustain the pilot bar at the forward limit of its movenient and also adapt said pilot bar to move rearwardly a limited distance for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

The pilot bar designated generally at A comprises a top section 12` embodying a front wall 13 and a rear wall 1l, the depth of the top section 12 of the pilot bar being sui'licient to form a housing for the collapsible fender body hereinafter more particularly described. In addition to the top fender bar section 12, the pilot bar. comprises a bottom section 15 having pivotally connectedthereto at 16 the forward extremities of a pair of pivotal braces 17. The rear fender bar may oe moved downwardly in a substantially vertical line.

The body of the fender is composed of an upper set or' links designated at 22 and a lower set of links designated at 23, all of said links being arranged in pairs and being pivotally connected together' at 24 and also connected by the same pivots to a yoke bar 25 'which therefore causes all of the links to swing equally in the operation of raising or lowering tac tender body. The links of the upper set are connected by pivots 26 to the top pilot bar section 12 while the lower links are connected by pivots '27 to thebottom pilot bar section 15. lt is also preferred to employ two groups of links as shown in Fig. 3, one at the right and the other at the left of the center or" the pilot bar thereby providing iior the movement of the yokes 25 toward each other in the told,` ing movement oi the fender body.

l i order to assist in the expansive movei of the fender, each oi the pivots 24 has' ociated therewith a coiled spring- 28 the tension ot which is exerted to throw the upper and lower sets ot' links 22 and 28 substantially into alinement with each other thas assisting in the quick and almost in stantaneous expansion' of the fender from its folded position to its catching .or useful position.

l yThe bottom vsection 15 of the pilot bar is normally upheld in the position shown in Fig. 1 by means or" a plurality of latches 29, three of said latches being shown although the number thereof is immaterial. All of the latches are simultaneously operatedfby means of aT common operating rod which is connected at one end to a cam lever 31 pivotally mounted on 4the upper fender bar section 12 atthe rear side of the latter as illustrated, for instanceyinFig. 4. Mounted upon the rods 10 are slidable collars 32 which are adapted to coperate with the fiam levers 31 to move the rod 30 longitudilnally and shift the catches 29 out of engagement with shoulders 33 on the lower, sectionl ot the pilot bar in order to release the latter and permit the same to fall. rEhe slidable collars 32ans arranged just in front the tubular sockets 9 and therefore when the pilot bar is thrust rearwardly upon impact with a person or object, the leverl is acted upon by the cam faces 3l of the collars 532, resulting in the tripping of the latches and the dropping of the fender body.

ln addition to the means hereinabove dcscribed providing for the automatic tripping of the fender, thefender may betripped by manually'controlled means consisting of a pedal 35 within reach of the operator in his seat in t'he machine, the pedal being shown 1connected to a bell crank lever 3G under the licor of the vehicle and having at. cached therein one end of a push rod 37,

pedal 35, the connections referred to operate to thrust the collar 32 toward the pilot bar A causing the cam tace 34 to operate against the lever 31 and thereby trip the latches and release the bottom section of the pilot bar which-tliereupon quickly falls, the descent thereof being accelerated above described.

The operation of the fender is as follows.

by the springs 28 The body of the fender is normally housed within the top section 12 of the pilot bar A so and the bottom of the housing is normally 'closed by means of the bottom section 15.

Should the pilot bar strike a person or object, it moves rearwardly suliiciently to operate the latches 29 which immediately re- 85 lease the bottom section 15 of the pilot barl permitting the fender to expand to its useful position where it is sustained by means of the braces 17, the rear ertremities of' which are permitted to move rearwardly in so order that the expanding fender may move downwardly in a substantially vertical path whereupon the rear extremities of the braces 17 contact with the axle 2 and are prevented from moving farther in a rearward direc-` tion. Should the driver see the necessity of using the fender, he may manually trip the same by depressing the pedal 35 which, by means of the connections described, will trip the latches 29 and release the bottom sec- 10o tion 'of the pilot bar, whereupon the same action previously described will take place. The parts of the fender are restored to their carrying positions by band after the fender nas performed the service for which it 4was o5 intended.

Instead of employing the plate 21 between the front axle 2 and the spring 3, the construction illustrated in Fig. 9 may be resorted to, the pin 20 of the hanger 19 be-, 110

ing carried by a clip 21 which embraces the spring 3 adjacent to the front axle.

Honing thus described my invention, I claim 5r 1. 'lfhe combination with the frame of a 115 motor vehicle, of a yieldable pilot bar located in advance of said frameand hav-` in g a limited rearward movement, `said pilot bar being` of,hollow formation u and comprising a top section which forms a-housing for the body or' the fender,'and a bottom section forming a bottom closure for said housing, a fender body comprising a set ot' toggle links attached to the top pilot bar section, another set of toggle links attached to the bottom pilot bar section7 said sots of links being pivotally yoked together and serving to limit the downward move- -ment of the bottom pilot bar section, pivotal braces attached at their forward en 13o tremities to the last named section and connected at their rear extremities with the vehicle axle, and latching means sustaining the bottoni pilot bar section' in its elevated position and adapted to automatically release the last named section when the pilot bar is thrust rearwardly.

2. The combination with the frame of a motor vehicle,of a yieldablepilot'bar located in advance of said frame and having a limited rearward movement, said pilot bar being of hollow formation and comprising a top section which forms a housing for the body of the fender, and a bottom section forming a bottom closure for said housing, a fender body comprising a set of toggle links attached to the top pilot bar section, another set of toggle links attached to the bottom bilot bar section,said sets of links being pivotally yoked together and serving to limit the downward movement of the bottom pilot. bar section, pivotal braces attached at their forward extremities to the last named section and connected at their rear extremities by pivoted hangers with the vehicle axle, and latching means sustaining the bottom pilot bar section in its elevated position and adapted to automatically release thc last inlined section when the pilot bar is thrust rearwardly.

3. The combination with the frame of a motor vehicle, of a yieldable pilot bar located in advance of Said frame and having a limited rearward movement, said pilot bar being of hollow formation and comprising a to) section` which forms a housing for the ody of the fender, and a bottom section forming a bottom closure for said housing, a fender body comprising a set oftoggle links attached to the top pilot bar section, another set ot' toggle links attached to the bottom pilot bar section, said sets of links being pivotally yoked together and serving to limit the downward'moveat their rear extremities with the vehicle axle, a plurality of latches on the pilot bar for upholding the bottom pilot bar section, a latch operating rod for simultaneously actuating said latches, a cam lever to which said rod is attached, and means in rear of the pilot bar for operating said cam lever when the pilot bar is thrust rearwardly.

4. The combination with the frame of a motor vehicle, of a yieldable pilot bar located in advance of said frame and having a limited rearward movement, said pilot bar being of hollow formation and comprising a top section which forms a housing for the body of the fender, and a bottom section forming a bottom closure for said housing, a fender body comprising a set of togglelinks attached to the to pilot bar section, another set of toggle lin s attached to the bottom ilot bar section, said sets of links being pivot-ally yoked trgether and serving to limit the downward movement ot' the bottom pilot bar section, pivotal braces attached at their forward extremities their rear extremities with the vehicle axle,

a plurality of latches on the pilot bar forupholding the bottom pilot bar section, a-

in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN GARNER BACKSTROM.

Witnesses:

IA. F. Romans,

W. WILLIS.

tothe last named section and connected at 

